03-09-2015, 01:15 AM
(03-08-2015, 08:02 AM)rangersfan Wrote: Council defers Grandlinq noise exemptions starting in March
March 4, 2015 | JamesJackson | Waterloo Chronicle | LINK
City council has deferred a noise bylaw exemption request from Grandlinq pending more information on the potential impact on local communities.
The exemption is required for construction of the new light rail transit project and is expansive. It runs from March 1 to Dec. 31, 2015 and would permit construction 24 hours per day, seven days per week near Conestoga Mall, along the Waterloo Spur line, Caroline Street and King Street.
“Of the four sections, three of them wind along uptown urban neighbourhoods, so I’d like to see a little more around what this is going to look like and how this is going to effect (those neighbourhoods),” said uptown Coun. Melissa Durrell in moving the motion to defer the request at last week’s council meeting.
Staff will prepare a report for March 9 outlining in greater detail the noise impact of the work and potential ways to mitigate it.
The city’s bylaw department has the power to issue or deny such noise exemption requests without council’s approval but Jim Barry, director of bylaw enforcement, said staff opted to bring this most recent request from Grandlinq to councillors because of its all-encompassing nature and the prolonged timeline of the request.
“We can grant up to six months, and this request extended beyond the six months,” Barry said. “When we’re looking at a request that spans more than six months, (and) spans multiple neighbourhoods across the city, that’s where we have to take a step back and say we have to come up with something better to mitigate any issues.”
In a letter to the region, Grandlinq indicated it wanted to begin work on March 15 and will provide notification to residents and businesses within 125 metres of all after-hours work.
The protocol being developed by Grandlinq and the city will include details of how far in advance notices of overnight work would be distributed, confirm that community members are aware of ways to contact Grandlinq if there are any problems, and ensure impacts to community events are considered when confirming construction dates.
The work that is expected to take place includes, but is not limited to: concrete placement of tracks, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, the removal and replacement of sewer and water utilities, track installation and aggregate and asphalt placement.
I wonder what other bylaw noise exemptions will be required between now and project completion to keep this "on time and on budget"? It might have been helpful to show two different budgets to citizens and politicians:
- Option A will be cheaper, but it will make your neighbourhood a living hell all day, every day for three years and then you'll have shiny new LRT;
- Option B will be more expensive, but your neighbourhood will only be a living hell during daytime hours, five days a week for three and half-years and then you'll have a shiny new LRT.
As an aside, I would have thought that 24-hour operation would have been more expensive given that top-up pay would likely be required for overnight or weekend work.